Randomised controlled trial of homoeopathy versus placebo in perennial allergic rhinitis with overview of four trial series

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that homoeopathy is a placebo by examining its effect in patients with allergic rhinitis and so contest the evidence from three previous trials in this series. Design: Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group, multicentre study. SETTING: Four general practices and a hospital ear, nose, and throat outpatient department. PARTICIPANTS: 51 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Intervention: Random assignment to an oral 30c homoeopathic preparation of principal inhalant allergen or to placebo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes from baseline in nasal inspiratory peak flow and symptom visual analogue scale score over third and fourth weeks after randomisation. RESULTS: Fifty patients completed the study. The homoeopathy group had a significant objective improvement in nasal airflow compared with the placebo group (mean difference 19.8 l/min, 95% confidence interval 10.4 to 29.1, P=0.0001). Both groups reported improvement in symptoms, with patients taking homoeopathy reporting more improvement in all but one of the centres, which had more patients with aggravations. On average no significant difference between the groups was seen on visual analogue scale scores. Initial aggravations of rhinitis symptoms were more common with homoeopathy than placebo (7 (30%) v 2 (7%), P=0.04). Addition of these results to those of three previous trials (n=253) showed a mean symptom reduction on visual analogue scores of 28% (10.9 mm) for homoeopathy compared with 3% (1.1 mm) for placebo (95% confidence interval 4.2 to 15.4, P=0.0007). CONCLUSION: The objective results reinforce earlier evidence that homoeopathic dilutions differ from placebo

Effectiveness of High Inclusion Liquid Feed for Finishing Steers

A finishing phase study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of replacing dry rolled corn with a high inclusion liquid feed for finishing steers. Treatments were based upon 3 supplements: 1) Control 3.3% inclusion meal-type supplement (CO); 2) Typical Liquid Supplement 4.5% inclusion liquid supplement (TLS); and 3) High Liquid Supplement 9.0% inclusion liquid supplement (HLS). Supplements displaced dry rolled corn in finishing diets. Five 5 pens of 7 or 8 yearling steers with an initial BW of 930 lb assigned to each treatment for the 119 d experiment. The assayed supplement inclusion averaged 3.35%, 4.48% and 8.97% for the CO, TLS and HLS treatments, respectively. In general, interim performance periods resulted in similar DMI across diets and the HLS diet generally improved ADG and F:G when compared to the CO diet. On a shrunk live BW basis cumulative F:G was lower for HLS than CO and tended to be lower than when TLS diet was fed. The HLS also tended (P = 0.08) to increase ADG compared to the TLS. These responses suggest the caloric value of the HLS exceeded the caloric value of the DRC that it replaced. The liquid supplements had no adverse effects on Quality Grade and tended to improve Yield Grade compared to CO. The high inclusion liquid supplement used in this study was an effective substitute for dry rolled corn in a finishing diet

Treating reading difficulties with colour [Editorial]

yesAround 3-6% of children in the United Kingdom have substantial difficulties learning to read, a condition often referred to as dyslexia. They are at high risk of educational underachievement. In a 1996 editorial in The BMJ, Margaret Snowling argued that dyslexia is a verbal (not a visual) disorder.1 An accumulation of evidence supports this position and shows that reading difficulties are best dealt with by interventions that target underlying weaknesses in phonological language skills and letter knowledge.2 The 2009 Rose report, which provides guidance for professionals in schools on identifying and teaching young people with dyslexia and reading difficulties, stresses the importance of early, phonological interventions.3 Despite this evidence, dyslexia is often associated with subjective experiences of visual distortions that lead to discomfort during reading (sometimes termed visual stress). It has been argued that these symptoms can be alleviated by using coloured overlays and lenses.4 Symptoms of visual stress are not unique to dyslexia, and proponents do not claim that the use of colour directly addresses the underlying cause of the reading difficulty. However, they argue that the reduction in visual distortion brought about by a change in colour can improve reading accuracy and fluency.

Treating reading difficulties with colour: Authors’ reply to Evans and Allen

yesWe thank Professors Evans and Allen for their interest in our article.1 2 The charity websites we reviewed refer to colour as though it offers a scientific, evidence based treatment; none referred to feedback from the membership. For example, one charity website makes the claim that “Research in the UK and in Australia shows that people who need coloured filters, who are said to have visual stress, need to have exactly the right colour.” This is incorrect. The research overwhelmingly shows little advantage, or at best conflicting results.3 4

Time of Suckling Implant Influences onWeaning Weight, Post-weaning Performance, and Carcass Traits in Steer Calves

The effect of time of suckling calf implant (SCI) use on weaning weight (WW), post-weaning performance and subsequent carcass traits was compared in steer calves produced on one ranch in western SD. Calves were born in March and April of each year and were reared on native range prior to weaning. The SCI strategies used included: non implanted controls (NI) or implanted with Synovex C either in May (MAY), or August (AUG). Age groups of dams (≥4 years) were managed separately through the breeding seasons. At weaning (late October) all calves were weaned and relocated to the SDSU Ruminant Nutrition Center feedlot. Steers were individually weighed, vaccinated, and treated for parasites and the processing body weight recorded was considered the WW. Steers were sorted into feedlot pens by SCI treatment (8 or 9 steers/pen; 8 pens/treatment; 24 pens/yr). Steers were backgrounded and finished using diets and management typical for this region and included the use of implants uniformly across SCI treatments. Both the MAY and AUG implant treatments increased WW over non-implanted calves. The magnitude of this was response interacted with the age of the dams. Steers nursing mature cows and implanted in May had the greatest increase in WW over NI (40 lb). The WW advantage for steers nursing mature cows and implanted in August was reduced to 17 lb. Timing of implant administration had the opposite effect in young cows and was more beneficial when steers were implanted in August. The weight advantage due to suckling implants persisted through to carcass weight. The SCI treatments did not affect the post-weaning ADG or feed efficiency of the steers and had no adverse effects on Quality Grade of the carcasses produced. There was a substantial benefit to the cow calf producer to match the time of implant administration with the age of the dam with no adverse impact on overall beef production

Examining Consumers\u27 Trust in the Food Supply Chain

Consumers are concerned about the quality and safety of their food at all times during the food supply chain, but sensationalized media coverage, lack of knowledge, and recent recalls have made it difficult for consumers to trust the agricultural industry. Because trust drives risk perceptions and acceptance, it is important for agricultural communicators to understand how personal characteristics influence trust in the food supply chain. To fulfill the purpose of this study, a national quota sample of 847 responses to an online questionnaire were collected in March 2019. The results indicated respondents held a moderate level of trust toward production agriculture, food processing, food retail, and food safety regulation, with the greatest level of trust assigned to production agriculture. Trust in these sectors of the food supply chain were also positively correlated to one another. Regression models for trust in each agricultural sector were significant but only accounted for 9% of the variance in the dependent variable at most. Direct engagement in agriculture was a positive predictor in trust across all four areas, and use of social media was a negative predictor for trust. Income and gender were also found to be predictors of trust in production agriculture, food processing, food retail, and food safety regulation. The findings from this study can be used to guide future communication to increase the level of trust in the food supply chain, which would also increase consumers’ purchasing intent

The Influence of Maternal Energy Status During Mid‐gestationon Beef Offspring Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality

Research has suggested that maternal under‐nutrition may cause the development of a thrifty phenotype in the offspring, potentially resulting in greater adiposity and reduced muscle mass. These alterations in fat and muscle development could have lasting impacts on offspring growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the influence of maternal energy status during mid‐gestation on offspring carcass characteristics and meat quality. To alter maternal energy status, cows either grazed pasture or were fed in a dry‐lot at 80% of the energy requirements for body weight maintenance during a mean period of 109 to 207 d of gestation. Changes in body condition score (BCS), body weight, ribeye area (REA), and 12th rib backfat were measured throughout mid‐gestation and were used to determine cow energy status [Positive (PES) or Negative (NES)]. Cows in the NES group had a significantly greater reduction in BCS, body weight, REA, and 12th rib backfat during mid‐gestation. Maternal energy status had no influence on offspring hot carcass weight, dressing percent, REA, percent kidney, pelvic, and heart fat, marbling score, percent intramuscular fat, objective color, or Warner‐Bratzler shear force. A tendency was seen for NES calves to have improvements in 12th rib backfat and USDA Yield Grade. A greater MRatio and IRatio (calculations used to compare the ratio of marbling (MRatio) and percent intramuscular fat (IRatio) with 12th rib backfat) were discovered in calves from cows experiencing a negative energy status during midgestation. These results suggest that maternal energy status during mid‐gestation may impact fat deposition in intramuscular and subcutaneous fat depots without impacting muscle mass

Disease classification from capillary electrophoresis: mass spectrometry

We investigate the possibility of using pattern recognition techniques to classify various disease types using data produced by a new form of rapid Mass Spectrometry. The data format has several advantages over other high-throughput technologies and as such could become a useful diagnostic tool. We investigate the binary and multi-class performances obtained using standard classifiers as the number of features is varied and conclude that there is potential in this technique and suggest research directions that would improve performance

Law, politics and the governance of English and Scottish joint-stock companies 1600-1850

This article examines the impact of law on corporate governance by means of a case study of joint-stock enterprise in England and Scotland before 1850. Based on a dataset of over 450 company constitutions together with qualitative information on governance practice, it finds little evidence to support the hypothesis that common-law regimes such as England were more supportive of economic growth than civil-law jurisdictions such as Scotland: indeed, levels of shareholder protection were slightly stronger in the civil-law zone. Other factors, such as local political institutions, played a bigger role in shaping organisational forms and business practice